Pap tests: new rules

1. Forget the traditional advice about getting a Pap as soon as possible after your period ends. The best time is between days 10 and 20 of your menstrual cycle, counting from the first day of your last period, the National Institutes of Health now suggests. Other advice from the National Women's Health Information Center, which supports the new guideline: Avoid intercourse 24 hours before the test, and don't use vaginal deodorant products for two days beforehand.--Kathleen Doheny

2. You may not even need an annual Pap smear if you're 30 or older. With a few exceptions, if you've had negative results on three consecutive annual Pap smears, you can wait two to three years to be rescreened. If you get the new DNAwithPap Test and have negative results, you don't need to be retested for three years. You do, however, still need a yearly pelvic exam.--D.P.O.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
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